During the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, the First Marine Division suffered 3,349 non-battle casualties, as many men as in a regiment, almost all of them from frostbite.

This is a staggering number — almost 1/5th of the division. And these were well led troops with officers and corpsman constantly looking for signs of frostbite. That’s how dangerous the cold was and on more than one occasion Marines found their sentries had frozen to death. Fighting in weather this cold is extremely difficult to do since the human body doesn’t function well in this kind of cold.

Leathernecks of the 7th Marines take a quick break during the heroic fight from the Chosin Reservoir down to the sea and safety by the First Marine Division in December 1950. (Photo by Sgt Frank C. Kerr)

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Charles McCain is a Washington DC based freelance journalist and novelist. He is the author of "An Honorable German," a World War Two naval epic. You can read more of his work on his website:
http://charlesmccain.com/